1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a digital camera, and more particularly to a digital camera having a function button for displaying and setting of image quality adjustment items by only one action.
2. Description of the Prior Arts
There has been known a digital still camera which has an imaging device for obtaining an image signal after converting a subject photoelectrically, such as a CCD image sensor, and which records an image in a memory card after image processing has been applied to the image signal. Such a digital camera is disclosed in Japanese Patent Laid-Open Publication No. 10-191237, and so forth. The digital camera is provided with various functions for image quality adjustment for changing the image quality of a photographed image differently from a photographic film camera in which an optical image is recorded on the photo film. For example, it is possible to make exposure adjustment by changing a diaphragm value in the digital camera as well as in the photographic film camera; furthermore, color balance or hue of the image, sharpness, a white balance, and so forth can be adjusted in the digital camera differently from the photographic film camera. Moreover, in the digital camera, it is possible to change light-receiving sensitivity (ISO sensitivity) of the CCD image sensor and the number of recording pixels within the number of effective pixels of the CCD image sensor.
The above-mentioned image quality adjustment is performed in a setting menu displayed on a LCD panel. The above-mentioned image quality adjustment items are arranged in the setting menu. A user selects one adjustment item at a time among from the image quality adjustment items, so that a default value can be changed into any values.
The above-mentioned adjustment items except for the exposure adjustment cannot be set in the photographic film camera. The colorhue, the sharpness, and the ISO sensitivity certainly can be slightly adjusted by changing a type of photo film. Even if each photo film has the same ISO sensitivity, the color hue and the sharpness are slightly different according to the type of photo film (see FIG. 5). In case of the photographic film camera, the types of photo film are selected in response to each photographed scene. Also, the finish of the image can be changed by using the different type of photo film even when the same photographed scene is taken. Since the user who lacks expert knowledge of the camera and photographing can select the type of photo film relatively easily, it is possible to easily enjoy the difference of the finish of the image in the photographic film camera.
As aforementioned, the finish of the image can be changed by adjustment of the color hue and the ISO sensitivity even in the digital camera. In addition, it is possible to adjust these adjustment items finely in the digital camera compared to the photographic film camera, so that the user can change the finish of the image widely.
However, a prior art digital camera can adjust each adjustment item finely, but then the expert knowledge for making full use of the digital camera is required. To make matters worse, all the image quality adjustment items are displayed in the single setting menu in an enumerative manner, so that such a digital camera is difficult to use for the user without the expert knowledge.